Transfer mechanism



Jan. 10, 1939. v. w. TODD TRANSFER MECHANISM Filed March 5, 1937 2Sheets-Sheet l .INVENTOR VAN WINKLE TODD.

ATTOR N EY 5 Jan, 10, 1939. v w TODD TRANSFER MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2FIGS Filed March 3, 1937 INVENTOR VAN WINKLEITODD,

ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 10, 1939 My'invention relates to transfermechanism for n-electroprocessing machine H .v v I :It is-the'object ofmy: invention" to'provide a machine which-has'one or more of thefollowing .-features,sing1y or in combination: arapid transj fermechanism adaptedto'pick up, 'elevate,' advanceland" lower a cantileverarm in "order to transfer itfroma position over one tank to a positionover'the next adjacent tank; means of .moving intermittently a carrierchain "by' the transfer mechanism when the transfer mechanism movingfrom--a-position over one tanl;

to a position over the'next' adjacent tank? and P thecombination oflifting a cantilever arm toan elevated-position and then-moving ithorizon-3 tally to a positionv over'the -nextadjacent tanl; and "thenslowering it and; during the'h'orizont'al movement; utilizing thelifting transfer-mecha= 1 nism for advancing'themain}carrier chain arequisite distance. Y Y r 7 It is a furtherobject' of my invention'toprovide meansof'suppor ting and' guiding' the cantilever arm; liftingand "transporting mechanism along'side'of and 'preferablv'adjacent thetop of and eliminatingany chance bf contamination of the contents of thetanks. i

It is a' further objectto provide an interlocking means between theactuating means and the cantilever arm carrier;

It is "an object tolfprovideffor I supporting the 1 cantilever'armalternatelypnthe carrier "chainfl I g ciprocationivertically of theplate 15 of the lifting and upon the transfer mechanism in, such a manner that the side, of the tank is 'notiused'to sup} port {and guide thenne end [of cantilever Figurej l" is alside lelevation of ato ofithetanks; thelhoriaontal carrier chain, acarrier and 'transferlmechanism,therefor;

sidiary track mechanism when right-hand position.'

roller: on the end of the actuating lever'withthe locking mechanismw 2lookingtinthedirection-xof the-arrows;

' 1,.looking in the; direction of the arrows.

' the center of Figure respondingpaired, grooved rollers ll.

gure 3-;-is,,a detail front elevation diagram 7 matically illustrating Iother engagement of the V rRANsFER-rmommsrr r; g V van winkleToddisMatawan," N. J-., assignor to rt flansonj-van' winkleMunning'Company, Mat- 7 IIW J a nome 1 "mutant March-3,1937, Serial No. 128,877

t (c1. 214-f-11) I a Figure 5 isa' side elevation of the carrier 'withthe cantilever arm; as it appears when moved in its uppermost position'awayiro'in thech'ain. I

Figure 6 is aside elevation partiallybroken away showing in dotted'linesthe position'of we cantilever arm in its lowermostposition but with theelevating mechanism inits uppermost position, corresponding to that inFigure 5. l ,t

Figure 7 is a section on the line of Figure Figure 8 is a section ontheline.8,-v-,8 of Figure. 10 1, looking inthedirection orthe arrows.

Figure 9 isa detail view ofqthe .liftingandtransporting mechanism shownin small size in- Referringto thedrawings in detail, 'I desig-l nates atank having an end 2. 3 designatesithe vo enextadiacent tank 4'. t

A framework, consistingof upright angle irons 5 resting upon thefloor-and, arranged :closely adjacentto the sides of the tanks,carries-Ea hon-:1 zontally-disposed T-rail having, a; vertical flangeportion: B zand athorizontal flangeu portionr T.

This rail is mounted adjacent the top edge of the tanks and parallelthereto. .;The 'top of the rail; designated 8, supports a pair "ofgrooved rollers 9, while the bottom edge); is engaged by a corv I'heserollers are mounted upon axles upon a carrier 1 plate I2. T he.axlesproject through; the plate 30 I2 and support ,on-the back of the plate apair of spaced grooved rollers l3 at the top and M e at the bottom. Thelast mentioned grooved rollers l3 and l4'guidebe tween them the flanged,

T-shaped, lifting member l5, -which has-the'flange l6. Mounted-onthis'member is achain' actuatingfingert I! having a taperedh'ead l8.Ther'eaccomplished through the rollers '9 and II resting upon and-beingguided by the siderail 'fii 'I'hepointed finger I1 is inserted within anotch I9 in the: horiz'ontal portion 20 of theeantilever' a m su ortinlate,'-which con'sists'of'th ho' 1 Figure; is a; detail viewlof thelocking and sub-w, r pp g p e n "its :1 lowermost 7' zontal portion 20the'vertical apron 2i.- flhis insertion is accomplished duringj thevertical- I movement of the finger' llso that-the chaini l will be moveda forward step duringthe hori zontal movement of the cantilever-"arminits I uppermost position when it' is' moved substan tiallyhorizontal'to 'a new position' 'over thene'xt adjacent tank. a The chain#22 supported a" This chain is provided with pointed fingers 23 whichproject through apertures 24 in the horizontal portion 25 of the innerend of the cantilever arm. This cantilever arm at its inner end has, inaddition to the horizontal plate 25, a vertical plate 25 extending abovethe plate 25 and a second vertical plate 21 extending below the plate 25and engaging with the stud 23 on the vertically depending plate 2| onthe chain 22.

The arm itself comprises a horizontal portion 29 and diagonal portions30 which are connected at their inner ends respectively to thehorizontal plate 25 and the top of the vertical plate 26. Gusset plates3| and 32 connect and reinforce the vertical and horizontal portions ofthe inner end of the cantilever arm. The rear surface of the verticalplate 26 is provided with inwardlyspaced, depending hooks 33 one abovethe other, which engage upon studs 34 mounted upon the face of thelifting member |5. A laterally extending plate 35 on the face of thesupport l5 engages with and positions the inner end 35 of the horizontalplate member 25.

The work pieces, which are being treated in the tanks, are suspendedfrom this cantilever arm.

Lifting mechanism,

The lifting mechanism for the lifting member |5 consists of a powershaft 31 driven from any suitable source, a lever on the end thereofmarked 33, and a roller 39 on the end of the arm marked 38. This rollerengages with the under side of an angle iron 40 mounted on the bottom ofthe lifting member l5. The angle iron 40 is a part of atransversely-arranged track mechanism, which engages with the roller 39and which is attached to the lower end of the lifting member 5. Itprovides a trackway in which the roller reciprocates during its raisingand lowering movements and a trackway in which it is temporarily lockedby the locking member 4| during its horizontal movements.

The locking member 4| is provided with shoulders 42 which engage withone of the flanges 43 formed on the plate 44. The plate 44 is providedwith studs 45 operating in slots 46a of the track member 40. A notch 41engages with the vertical flange member 5 after having been brought inline with it in the cut-away portion at 45 at the top and bottom of thevertical member 5. This happens at opposite corners at the top andbottom of the movement.

Method of operation One or more cantilever arms are mounted in ahorizontal position to extend over the tanks to support in the tankswork pieces that are being plated or otherwise treated. These cantileverarms rest upon the supports consisting of the plates 20 and 2|. Thelower ends of the plates 2| are provided with rollers 2|a which engagewith the face of the side rail 5. When it is desired to transfer quicklya cantilever arm from adjacent the end of one tank over the partitionsof that tank and the next adjacent tank, then the lifting arm 38 withits roller 39 lifts the lifting member I5, the lifting member |5 firstmoves vertically on the line (1-1:, while the end of the arm 38 and itsroller 39 travels through the are between the points a-a marked b due tothe compensatory track mechanism heretofore described carried on thelower end of the lifting member l5. When the roller engages with thelocking member 4|, the lifting member I5 is now in its uppermostposition with its wedgeshaped pin I! inserted in the notch |9 of theplate 29. A continuation of the movement of the arm 38 causes ahorizontal movement of the rollers 9 and H with the plate l2, thuscarrying the arm |5 horizontally from a to 0, while the end of the armtravels through the arc between those points, designated d.Simultaneously, this horizontal movement imparts the movement to thechain 22 which is advanced to a new position. It comes to rest whenopposite the point c, at which time the lifting member l5 starts tolower so that the cantilever arm will be replaced upon the chain withthe cantilever arm over the new tank. During this operation, the end ofthe roller passes from c to e on the are I, while the lifting member [5travels downwardly on the straight line between 0 and e and thereafterreturns to the left hand from e to a, while the end of thearm 39 travelsthrough the are from e to a, designated a.

The engagement of the notch 41 of the trackway 40 with the verticalguide members 5 insures a vertical movement, either up or down, of thecarrier l5 with its cantilever arm 29, when lifting the arm from overone tank and lowering it downwardly onto another.

It is understood that I desire to comprehend within my specification andclaims various modifications of my invention without departing from thespirit thereof so that it can be adapted to varying conditions and uses.

It will be understood that the chain may be advanced by this drivingmechanism without utilizing the lifting mechanism: the lifting mechanismmay be operated by itself without moving the chain; but I prefer toemploy the two in combination in such a manner that the chain is onlymoved a predetermined distance when the cantilever arm in its uppermostposition is moved on a substantially horizontal line.

By putting all of the mechanism to one side of the tank and most of itbelow the tank, I am enabled to get the advantages of low overall heightso that the machine can be placed in areas having a restricted height. Iplace all of the mechanism within easy range and reach of the operatorfor inspection, adjustment, lubrication and repair. I place it in such aposition as not to interfere with or contaminate the contents of thetanks. I greatly simplify the entire mechanism as I completely eliminatethe expensive driving mechanism for the main chain 22. I am enabled toprovide very strong and rigid cantilever arms, which can be made out ofstandard materials as, for instance, by welding rods and angle irons toa supporting base plate. I thus eliminate the disadvantages of specialcastings and forms.

A further advantage accrues in that, by locating this mechanism betweenparallel tanks, as in the return type of machine, all of the mechanismcan be kept in a confined space between the tanks where it is will notinterfere with the operators, and easy inspection of the work, andloading and unloading of the work can be accomplished as all of theoperating mechanism will be on the opposite side of the tank from theoperator. No overhead mechanism is necessary and the only clearancerequired is that needed to give the lifting member, with its attachedwork pieces, suflicient elevation to be lifted and passed over theadjacent ends of the tank. By having a straight lifting of both ends ofthe cantilever arm, which is lifted in a horizontal position, I amenabled to avoid any dripping outside of the tank chain by driving thechain throughthe actuation. horizontally of said lifting member,"atrackand, carriage thereon adapted to support said liftingv meansduring its reciprocation and to guide itj'. horizontally during itslateral movement, and means between said lifting means andthepower and Ican utilize a very narrow tank as compared with the conditions where aswinging mechanism is employed.

It will be understood that I desire to comprehend within my inventionsuch modifications as may be necessary to adapt it to varying conditionsand uses.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination, a cantilever arm, a lifting member for detachablysupporting said cantilever arm, a chain for detachably supporting saidcantilever arm, a track, a carriage on said track adapted to supportsaid lifting member and to guide it vertically as it reciprocates, and apower means for reciprocating said lifting member to I lift and lowerthe cantilever arm to and from the chain and to also move said liftingmember a predetermined horizontal distance with its carriage on thetrack, said power means being so arranged as to move the chain bydriving the chain through the actuation horizontally of said shiftingmember.

2. In combination, a cantilever arm, a lifting member for detachablysupporting said cantilever arm, a chain for detachably supporting saidcantilever arm, a track, a carriage on said track adapted to supportsaid lifting member and to guide it vertically as it reciprocates, and apower means for reciprocating said lifting member to lift and lower thecantilever arm toand from the chain and to also move said lifting membera predetermined horizontal distance with its carriage on the track, saidpower means being located substantially below the top of said tank, andsaid track and chain being located substantially adjacent the top ofsaid tank, said power means being so arranged as to move the chain bydriving the chain through the actuation horizontally of said liftingmember.

3. In combination, a work supporting means, a chain for detachablysupporting said means, a reciprocating lifting member adapted todisengage said supporting means from the chain and to raise and lower itwith respect thereto and to transport the supporting means laterallythereof; and power means for reciprocating said lifting member and formoving it laterally, said power means being so arranged as to move thechain by driving the chain through the actuation horizontally of saidlifting member.

4. In combination, a work supporting means,

a chain for detachably supporting said means, a

reciprocating lifting member adapted to disengage said supporting meansfrom the chain and to raise and lower it with respect thereto and totransport the supporting means laterally thereof; power means forreciprocating said lifting member and for moving it laterally, a trackand carriage thereon adapted to support said lifting means during itsreciprocation and to guide it horizontally during its lateral movement,said power means being so arranged as to move the chain by driving thechain through the actuation'horizontally of said lifting member.

5. In combination, a work supporting means, a chain for detachablysupporting said means, a reciprocating lifting member adapted todisengage said supporting means from the chain and to raise and lower itwith respect thereto and to transport the supporting means laterallythereof; power means for reciprocating said lifting member and formoving it laterally, said power means being so arranged as to move themeans to permit relative movement therebetween' during the raising andlowering of the lifting means and to lock the-power means and theliftingmeans together when they are movedin'a substantially horizontaldirection. I

6. In combination, a track, a carriage'thereon having rollers engagingwith the track, and

rollers thereon engaging with the lifting 1118011311,,

nism, a lifting mechanism engaging with the last; 15

mentioned rollers so as to be guided vertically, .a

power driven lever so connected with said lifting member as to be fixedthereto during the horizontal movement thereof and as to move relativelythereto during the vertical movement thereof; and a detachable means forsupporting work pieces adapted to be detachably mounted on the end ofsaid lifting member and a chain associated therewith for detachablysupporting the work supporting means.

7. In combination, a vertically reciprocating, laterally moving liftingmember, a chain, a detachable cantilever arm adapted to be alternatelymounted on said chain and on said lifting member, means to guide saidlifting member laterally, means to move said lifting member and saidguide laterally and to reciprocate said lifting member, and power meansto move said lifting 1 member laterally and vertically and to drive saidchain through said lifting member when it is moved horizontally.

8. In combination, a vertically reciprocating, laterally moving liftingmember, a chain, a detachable cantilever arm adapted to be alternatelymounted on said chain and on said lifting member, means to guide saidlifting member laterally, and means to move said lifting member and saidguide laterally and to reciprocate said lifting member, said means beingso arranged as to be locked to the lifting member when guiding itlaterally and unlocked so as to move relatively thereto when raising andlowering the lifting member. I

9. In combination, a vertically reciprocating, laterally moving liftingmember, a. chain, a detachable cantilever arm adapted to be alternatelymounted on said chain and on said lifting member, means to guide saidlifting member laterally, means to move said lifting member and saidguide laterally and to reciprocate said lifting member, said means beingso arranged as to be locked to the lifting member'when guiding itlaterally and unlocked so as to move relatively thereto when raising andlowering the lifting member, and means on said lifting member forengaging with said chain to move the chain when the lifting member isbeing moved bodily laterally in at least one direction.

10. In combinatlon,-a chain, a detachable carrier means thereon, alifting arm adapted to engage with said carrier means to raise and lowerit, means to guide said lifting member laterally, means on said liftingmember for engaging with said chain during the lateral movement of saidlifting member, and power driven means for reciprocating said liftingmember and for moving the lifting member and the chain laterallytogether during the lateral movement of the lifting member.

11.- In combination, a chain, a detachable cantiiever arm mountedthereon, a vertically reciprocable lifting member adapted to detachablyr ciprocable lifting member adapted to detachably engage with saidcantilever arm to raise, lower and transport it, a carriage, a trackwaysupporting said carriage, means on said carriage for guiding thereciprocal movement of the lifting member, means on the lifting memberfor engaging with the chain to move it laterally when the lifting memberis movedv laterally, and power means for reciprocating the liftingmember and for moving it with its carriage and chain laterally, saidpower means comprising a power driven lever, means to guide said leverfreely with respect to said lifting member during the raising andlowering thereof, and meam to lock said lever pivotally on said liftingmember during the lateral movement thereof.

VAN WINmE TODD.

